In the original Guild Wars being human was a requirement. In the sequel being human is a choice. This week ArenaNet is taking an in-depth look at what it means to be human in Guild Wars 2.

For veteran players of Guild Wars, playing a human in Guild Wars 2 might seem like a natural choice. It's what they've been doing for years, after all. But Guild Wars 2 introduces a variety of new races to the mix, and with the last bastion of humanity huddled together for protection, they're going to need all the support they can get.

So far we've been given an audio tour of the human race by writer John Ryan, exploring the parts of humanity's story players will experience through conversations overheard in their travels.

Then character art lead Aaron Coberly takes us through the process of upgrading humans from Guild Wars to Guild Wars 2, touching on an armor system that divides visuals up by weight class instead of character class - i.e. Warriors and Guardians both wear heavy armor that shares a similar look.

Coberly also has something to say about the lack of protection in some of the game's sexier armor.

I understand that many players feel that armor should be practical, realistic, and shouldn't leave skin exposed to attack. When coming up with ideas for armor, the character and concept department try to balance the practical with the fantasy. We make armor that looks protective and functional, but we also make armor that looks sexy and shows a generous level of strategically placed skin. We recognize the "fantasy" aspect of our game; if you are able to rain down balls of fire from the sky, your clothing should not be a factor when it comes to body temperature, whether you are wearing your underwear or a fur coat. We've always intended to create outfits for male and female characters that are appealing and attractive without making our players feel uncomfortable about what their character or other player-characters are wearing. I think that Guild Wars has been very successful in this regard, and we will continue to make outfits that adhere to this philosophy.

Hit up the links below to gain more insight into the role humans play in Guild War's future.